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General Visual & Performing Arts

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 50.0101 - 50.0102.

Types of Degrees General Visual & Performing Arts Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Visual & Performing Arts have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	105
Associate’s Degree	1,865
Bachelor’s Degree	4,548
Master’s Degree	565
Doctor’s Degree	17

What General Visual & Performing Arts Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Visual & Performing Arts build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Visual & Performing Arts graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Visual & Performing Arts emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Visual & Performing Arts program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Visual & Performing Arts careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Visual & Performing Arts graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Visual & Performing Arts professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Visual & Performing Arts graduates include:

• Ballet Professor
• Singing Teacher
• Piano Professor
• Woodshop Instructor
• Theater Professor
• Media Arts Professor
• Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
• Art Professor
• Lighting Design Lecturer
• Drama Professor
• Artist Instructor
• Drama Teacher
• Piano Teacher
• Piano Performance Professor
• Adjunct Music Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Visual & Performing Arts graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.6%
Bachelor’s degree	20.9%
Doctoral degree	20.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.3%
Some college courses	6.6%
Postsecondary certificate	4.0%
Less than a high school diploma	2.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Visual & Performing Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61% of General Visual & Performing Arts degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,407	61.0%
Men	2,818	39.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Visual & Performing Arts graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,417	47.3%
Asian	503	7.0%
Hispanic or Latino	1,705	23.6%
Black or African American	711	9.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	46	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	23	0.3%
Two or More Races	383	5.3%
Race Unknown	192	2.7%
International Students	245	3.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Visual & Performing Arts Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Visual & Performing Arts graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,099
4 years	$37,427
5 years	$42,359

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $42,359 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Visual & Performing Arts Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General Visual & Performing Arts. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	13	14
Bachelor’s	9	12
Master’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Visual & Performing Arts Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Visual & Performing Arts graduates earn a median of $37,427 four years after completion — about 2% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Visual and Performing Arts	153,937
Design and Applied Arts	38,798
Fine and Studio Arts	37,770
Music	25,853
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	18,927
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	16,640
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management	4,430
Dance	3,274
Visual and Performing Arts, Other	941
Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry	67
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	12
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.